TheFunded Founder Institute NewsWelcome to the Founder Institute, where we advance of the science of entrepreneurship.http://FI.co
Better Weekdays Included In President Barack Obama’s TechHire Initiative<p><strong><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisbmotley" target="_blank">Chris Motley</a>, CEO of <a href="http://www.betterweekdays.com/" target="_blank">Better Weekdays</a></strong>, understands the potential of investing in people who deliver great returns, he was recently featured in a St. Louis Post-Dispatch article titled &ldquo;<a href="http://www.stltoday.com/business/columns/david-nicklaus/better-weekdays-founder-makes-key-connections-in-st-louis/article_d5f290b0-1f74-5a58-af7b-a722c02afbd7.html%20" target="_blank">Better Weekdays founder makes key connections in St. Louis</a>&rdquo; by <a href="https://twitter.com/dnickbiz" target="_blank">David Nicklaus</a>. As an individual who was born to a 13-year-old single mother in Chicago, he worked hard to achieve success and took advantage of any opportunity given to him while growing up. <br /><br />Motley has a proven track record of delivering great results. While in middle school he received the &ldquo;A Better Chance Scholarship,&rdquo; which paid for his boarding school. In addition, he attended a summer program that allowed him to meet a Goldman Sachs executive, who encouraged him to attend Columbia University. Upon graduating he worked for Goldman as a commodity trader.<br /><br />He later returned to Chicago as an executive for a textile company and learned how difficult it was for midsize firms to recruit talent. In 2011, Motley pitched his startup idea at Startup Weekend in Chicago and met his co-founder during the event. The two founders incorporated the business and managed to generate about $20,000 in revenue during their first year. <br /><br />Better Weekdays began to attract the attention of several technology accelerator programs. The company eventually chose Capital Innovators in St. Louis, which invested $50,000 in February 2014. Motley is trying to build a business around helping other people make connections. Better Weekdays provides a cloud-based career management software platform that enables for-profit colleges to improve job placement outcomes among its graduates and maintain federal compliance.</p>
<blockquote>Our company is all about giving people access to opportunity.&rdquo;</blockquote>
<p>The company was recently included in President Barack Obama&rsquo;s TechHire initiative, a 21-city effort to help more young people break into the technology industry. Better Weekdays will offer its platform for free in the participating cities.<br /><br />In the next few weeks, Motley expects to raise enough money to expand his four-person team. He&rsquo;ll then launch the product in June at a convention of for-profit colleges, many of which he hopes will become paying customers.</p>
<p><em><strong>For more information on Better Weekdays service, visit their <a href="http://www.betterweekdays.com/" target="_blank">official website.</a> </strong></em></p>
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</table>Tue, 31 Mar 2015 10:50:00 -0700http://FI.co/posts/14621
The Founder Institute is Looking for Startup Ecosystem Leaders<p dir="ltr"><strong>Do you want to be a leader in your local startup ecosystem?</strong> <a href="http://FI.co/" target="_blank">The Founder Institute</a> (the world's largest entrepreneur training and startup launch program) is on a mission to "Globalize Silicon Valley" and is looking for local startup leaders to launch new chapters around the world.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Founder Institute Directors play an essential role in their local economy, share in the value of the companies they help create, and are included in FI&rsquo;s global network of more than 1,400 global entrepreneurial leaders. If you want to see what some of our current Directors are up to, below is an up-to-date list of FI Directors in the news:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://argent.canoe.ca/emissions/techno-pour-tous/videos/video-techno-pour-tous-2-mars-2015-172634" target="_blank">Sergio Escobar&nbsp;interviewed by TVA Argent: <em>Techno Pour Tous</em></a>&nbsp;(<strong>TVA Argent</strong>): <strong><a href="https://twitter.com/sergiusescobar" target="_blank">Sergio Escobar</a></strong> is the Co-Director of the <a href="http://FI.co/apply/montreal/blog" target="_blank">Montreal Founder Institute</a>.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.nacion.com/economia/empresarial/Incubadora-enlazara-empresarios-fondos-exterior_0_1470053006.html" target="_blank">Vivian Arias mentioned on&nbsp;La Naci&oacute;n:&nbsp;<em>Incubadora Costa Rica Open Future enlazar&aacute; a empresarios con fondos en el exterior</em></a>&nbsp;(<strong>La Naci&oacute;n</strong>):&nbsp;<strong><a href="https://twitter.com/variasg" target="_blank">Vivian Arias</a></strong>&nbsp;is the Co-Director of the&nbsp;<a href="http://fi.co/apply/san_jose/blog" target="_blank">San Jose, Costa Rica Founder Institute</a>.</li>
<li><a href="http://upstart.bizjournals.com/entrepreneurs/hot-shots/2014/12/22/ramphis-castro-says-startup-havana-is-a-foregone.html" target="_blank">Ramphis Castro featured on&nbsp;Upstart Business Journal:&nbsp;<em>Ramphis Castro says Startup Havana is a 'foregone conclusion'</em></a> (<strong>Upstart Business Journal</strong>):&nbsp;<strong><a href="https://twitter.com/jramphis" target="_blank">Ramphis Castro</a></strong> is the Co-Director of the <a href="http://fi.co/apply/san_juan/blog" target="_blank">Puerto Rico Founder Institute</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p dir="ltr">Through the Founder Institute, countless Directors have contributed greatly to their respective startup communities. To learn more about the impact Directors have on their region and their personal experiences leading a chapter, check out the following Director Profiles:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong><a href="http://fi.co/alan" target="_blank">Director Profile:&nbsp;Alan Colmenares</a></strong>&nbsp;(Director of the Bogota and Medellin Founder Institutes)</li>
<li><strong><a href="http://fi.co/jeanine" target="_blank">Director Profile:&nbsp;Jeanine Jacobson</a></strong>&nbsp;(Director of the San Diego, Los Angeles, and Orange County Founder Institutes)</li>
<li><strong><a href="http://fi.co/jeff" target="_blank">Director Profile:&nbsp;Jeffrey Paine</a></strong>&nbsp;(Director of the Singapore Founder Institute)</li>
</ul>
<h3 dir="ltr"><em><strong><a href="http://FI.co/lead" target="_blank">Help strengthen your local startup community by leading a Founder Institute chapter.</a></strong></em></h3>
<p dir="ltr">The best Founder Institute Directors have a combination of the following characteristics:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Entrepreneurial Experience</strong> - Directors should have some level of entrepreneurial experience, defined as having founded or co-founded a tech company, as well as relatable experience to Founders that go through the program.</li>
<li><strong>Availability</strong> - Directors should be available to attend the recruiting events that lead up to the semester, as well as the program sessions.</li>
<li><strong>Locality</strong> - Directors should be live in and be familiar with their startup ecosystem.</li>
<li><strong>Ecosystem Involvement</strong> - Directors should be involved in the ecosystem in at least one of these roles: a&nbsp;mentor in a startup organization,&nbsp;a senior member of startup group, a guest speaker&nbsp;at industry events or a host of startup-related events.</li>
</ul>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3 dir="ltr">The Founder Institute is currently looking for Directors in cities all across the globe.&nbsp;If you have what it takes to be a startup leader in your area,&nbsp;<a href="http://FI.co/lead" target="_blank">apply to become a Founder Institute Director today</a>!</h3>
<p>&nbsp;</p>Tue, 31 Mar 2015 10:05:00 -0700http://FI.co/posts/13741
The First Steps to Building a Technology Company <p dir="ltr">Many of us spend day after day creating imaginative scenarios of becoming an entrepreneur. We day dream in our cubicles, fantasize during long commutes, and some of us may even muster up enough courage to tell others our ambitious ideas.</p>
<p dir="ltr">As days turn into nights and seasons turn into years, our enthusiasm transforms into fear and uncertainty.</p>
<p><em><strong>&ldquo;When do I take the first step? How do I take the first step?&rdquo; </strong></em>These gnawing, unanswered questions may even push a few of us to give up altogether.&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>But then, there's YOU.</strong></p>
<p>You&rsquo;ve chosen to read this blog because you&rsquo;re ready to take the first step, and you want answers. You no longer want to wear the title of the dreamer. You are a doer, and The Founder Institute is here to assist you along the lengthy journey of entrepreneurship.</p>
<p><em><strong>If you&rsquo;re ready to take the first step in becoming an entrepreneur, The Founder Institute offers you "<a href="http://fi.co/contents/10571%20" target="_blank">Startup and Go</a>" &ndash; a crash course on the initial steps to creating a meaningful and enduring technology company.</strong></em></p>
<p>Check out our infographic below to get a brief overview of how to begin your transformation from <a href="http://fi.co/posts/12121" target="_blank">employee to entrepreneur</a>.</p>
<p>&nbsp; &nbsp;<img src="http://fi.co/system/upload/Startup_GoUdemyInfographic3.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><em><strong>If you&rsquo;re ready to take the first step in becoming an entrepreneur, The Founder Institute offers you free access to "<a href="https://www.udemy.com/startup-and-go/?dtcode=RVf3GZ52ECxd" target="_blank">Startup and Go</a>"&nbsp;</strong></em></span></p>Mon, 30 Mar 2015 19:40:00 -0700http://FI.co/posts/14561
Founder Institute Recognizes The Efforts of Six Startup Champions <p dir="ltr">Every ecosystem has its own league of startup experts who develop their respective economies through hosting events and counseling founders. From entrepreneurial leaders in FI&rsquo;s 4,000+ person network, to those operating on their own, the Founder Institute salutes all who strive to build their local startup communities.</p>
<p><strong>In our efforts to commend all ecosystem leaders, we conducted a social campaign which allowed Startup Champions to exhibit how they&rsquo;re developing their city&rsquo;s entrepreneurial culture. With over two dozen applicants, we were able to identify six leaders who&rsquo;ve worked extremely hard to support the advancement of entrepreneurs in their ecosystem.</strong></p>
<p>From narrowing the gap between women and technology, to paving the way for the 3D Printing community, we introduce <strong>The Founder Institute Startup Champions of 2015</strong>:</p>
<h3><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/lizellevanvuuren" target="_blank">Lizelle Van Vuuren</a> - Founder of Women Who Startup</h3>
<p style="padding-left: 60px;"><img style="vertical-align: middle;" src="http://fi.co/system/upload/AAEAAQAAAAAAAAMVAAAAJDFkZDA4ZDYxLTliYmQtNDIzZi1hZDE2LTZlYzIzZjNlZDQ0Yg.png" alt="Women who startup" width="646" height="224" /></p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/lizellevv" target="_blank">Lizelle</a> is a leading entrepreneur and community builder in the Denver area. She is the co-founder of <a href="http://startupdenver.com" target="_blank">Startup Denver </a>and the founder of <a href="http://www.womenwhostartup.co" target="_blank">Women Who Startup</a>; a community to celebrate, connect, and empower, Women Founders, Women Who Code, and Women Who Tech in Denver and beyond. Through her efforts to bridge the gap between polarized community platforms in Colorado, Lizelle has just begun her journey to change the face of entrepreneurship not only in her community, but worldwide.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I spend most of my time, when I'm not launching ideas and growing startups, promoting and providing resources to entrepreneurs, specifically in Colorado, although my network spans the globe. I'm a &lsquo;diversity in tech and equality for all&rsquo; advocate, and entrepreneurship is my religion, political affiliation, etc. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>I believe that entrepreneurship can solve the world&rsquo;s toughest problems, and I know that's apart of my life's work. I hope to continue to make a difference in the world by empower others to startup, be bold, nurture their entrepreneurial itch, and to simply do!"</p>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>Read more about Lizelle&rsquo;s efforts: <a href="http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_25916261/female-focused-initiatives-shift-tides-rising-tech-entrepreneurs" target="_blank">here</a></strong></p>
<h3><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=240885644&amp;authType=NAME_SEARCH&amp;authToken=qI2W&amp;locale=en_US&amp;srchid=2435774951427748067120&amp;srchindex=1&amp;srchtotal=1&amp;trk=vsrp_people_res_name&amp;trkInfo=VSRPsearchId%3A2435774951427748067120%2CVSRPtargetId%3A240885644%2CVSRPcmpt%3Aprimary%2CVSRPnm%3A" target="_blank">Vanessa Juneau</a> - President and Co-founder of Open3DC</h3>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><img style="vertical-align: middle;" src="http://fi.co/system/upload/3DC.jpg" alt="" width="646" height="224" /></p>
<p>As the president and co-founder of the<a href="http://www.meetup.com/3D-Printing-Community-Open-3DC/" target="_blank"> 3D Printing community</a> <a href="http://www.3dpc.org" target="_blank">Open3DC</a> in Seattle, Vanessa has crafted an educational outreach program that aims to stimulate the adoption and usage of 3D printing and additive manufacturing technologies. Since beginning her career as a 3D modeler in the video game industry at Electronic Arts in 1997, Vanessa has graduated to hosting networking events, training seminars, bootcamps, and Open 3DC monthly <a href="http://www.inside3dp.com/3d-printing-excitement-seattle/" target="_blank">conferences</a> and <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/mike_grauer/sets/72157651199163646/" target="_blank">workshops</a>.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I think the most important thing to take into consideration when building community is fulfilling the needs of community members.&nbsp;<span style="line-height: 1.45;">Each individual in the community should benefit,&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.45;">feel a sense of belonging, and&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.45;">share an emotional connection to the group or&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.45;">community</span><span style="line-height: 1.45;">.&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.45;">When members of a group share past and future experiences together, it inevitably create a close community.&rdquo;</span></p>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>Learn more about Vanessa&rsquo;s efforts: <a href="http://www.inside3dp.com/3d-printing-excitement-seattle/" target="_blank">here</a></strong></p>
<h3><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pub/yannick-roy/6/528/8aa" target="_blank">Yannick Roy</a> - Co-Founder of BCI Montreal</h3>
<p style="padding-left: 60px;"><img style="vertical-align: middle;" src="http://fi.co/system/upload/ultimate_logo_sidetoside.png" alt="" width="646" height="244" /></p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/_yroy_" target="_blank">Yannick</a> is the co-founder of <a href="http://bcimontreal.org" target="_blank">BCIMontreal</a>, which hosts meetups, workshops, hackathons and festivals to educate, facilitate and accelerate the use of Brain-Computer Interfaces in Montr&eacute;al. The organization has recently partnered with <a href="http://www.wearhacks.com" target="_blank">WearHacks</a> on "<a href="http://bcimontreal.org/projectx/" target="_blank">Project X</a>" to disrupt the innovation in Montreal.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>My personal take home message of the day is that we live in an amazing time with endless possibilities. We now feel that we have a shot at breaking &lsquo;the code of the brain&rsquo;. The biggest challenge in history and we, the &lsquo;2000 era&rsquo;, are the ones doing it (trying, at least). In order to succeed thought, we need to all work together and collaborate more.&rdquo;</p>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>Learn more about Yannick&rsquo;s efforts:&nbsp;<a href="http://neurogadget.com/2015/03/12/braintech-2015-day-1-roundup/11046" target="_blank">here</a></strong></p>
<h3><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlosrcobian" target="_blank">Carlos R. Cobian</a> - Founder of H3 Tech Conference</h3>
<p style="padding-left: 60px;"><img style="vertical-align: middle;" src="http://fi.co/system/upload/H3MeetImage2.png" alt="" width="646" height="224" /></p>
<p>Carlos is the founder of the platform <a href="http://www.h3techconference.com" target="_blank">H3 Tech Conference</a> (Hackers, Hustlers and Hipsters), a platform to promote innovation-based entrepreneurship by encouraging and celebrating successful collisions between entrepreneurs, engineers and designers. The goal of the conference is to create new business ventures that can contribute to the social and economic development of the world.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The importance of the conference is to allow young entrepreneurs to present their products to international investors, which is key to close the deal and bring your application into production and sale.&rdquo;</p>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>Learn more about Carlos&rsquo;s efforts:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.h3techconference.com" target="_blank">here</a></strong></p>
<h3><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jramphis" target="_blank">Ramphis Castro</a> - Facilitator/Organizer Startup Weekend Puerto Rico</h3>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><img style="vertical-align: middle;" src="http://fi.co/system/upload/Champions.jpg" alt="" width="646" height="224" /></p>
<p>As a serial entrepreneur and pioneer in cross-platform native mobile technology, Ramphis started from scratch to help cultivate the startup community in Puerto Rico. With ties to The Founder Institute, Startup Weekend, Startup NEXT, Startup Digest, Hack Puerto Rico, CodeTrotters, Start-Up Chile, and others, Ramphis has trained and supported the advancement of entrepreneurs, the creation of angel investor groups, and the globalization of economic development policy.</p>
<p><strong>Learn more about Ramphis&rsquo;s efforts:&nbsp;<a href="http://coquicoders.org/ramphis-castro-a-dream-hunter-in-the-senate/" target="_blank">here</a></strong></p>
<h3><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pub/nerma-albertorio/11/950/424" target="_blank">Nerma Albertor</a> - Co-founder&nbsp;<a href="http://centroparaemprendedores.org" target="_blank">Centro para Emprendedores</a></h3>
<p style="padding-left: 60px;"><img style="vertical-align: middle;" src="http://fi.co/system/upload/Centro.jpg" alt="" width="646" height="224" /></p>
<p>Nerma co-founded <a href="http://centroparaemprendedores.org" target="_blank">Centro para Emprendedores</a> (Center of Entrepreneurship), an organization that offers a unique coaching program and a support system for entrepreneurs. She has organized six Startup Weekends, trained over 800 entrepreneurs, and has helped over 100 startups over the past two years.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Organizing Startup Weekends gives me the opportunity to host an event where people realize that they can do things in short time, and with the necessary accompaniment, become successful business leaders.&rdquo;</p>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>Learn more about Nerma&rsquo;s efforts:&nbsp;<a href="http://centroparaemprendedores.org/?page_id=167" target="_blank">here</a></strong></p>
<p><em><strong><span style="color: #777777; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px;">If you're passionate about growing your local economy through entrepreneurship, then <a href="http://fi.co/lead" target="_blank">apply to be a Founder Institute Local Director</a> today.</span></strong></em></p>Mon, 30 Mar 2015 18:55:00 -0700http://FI.co/posts/14551
Come to a Free Startup Event and Learn How You Can Launch a Company Now<p>The Founder Institute hosts thousands of&nbsp;<strong><a href="http://FI.co/events" target="_blank">free startup events</a></strong>&nbsp;across the globe each year, in over [total_cities] cities across six continents. These events are designed to help aspiring entrepreneurs improve their ideas and entrepreneurial skills, all in a low-pressure environment.</p>
<p><strong>At Founder Institute events, you can meet and learn from successful entrepreneurs, get feedback on your ideas, come up with new ideas, recruit potential co-founders, and more. They are the perfect starting point for beginning your entrepreneurship journey.</strong></p>
<p>We have several events coming up in the next few weeks, which are listed below. &nbsp;Don't see an event in your city? Then sign up for our <a href="http://eepurl.com/ydBWv" target="_blank">Local Updates List</a>, because chances are we will be in your city soon!</p>
<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>Here are our upcoming events:&nbsp;</strong></span></p>
<table style="color: #777777; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 25px;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td class="lead" width="100">Date</td>
<td class="lead" width="55">Time</td>
<td class="lead" width="100">City</td>
<td class="lead" width="250">Event</td>
<!--<td class="lead" width="*">Location</td>--></tr>
<tr>
<td>2015-03-28</td>
<td>2:30 PM</td>
<td><strong>Shanghai</strong><br /><em>China</em></td>
<td><a href="http://FI.co/e/36251">创业想法培训营</a></td>
<!--<td>23 Seed</td>--></tr>
<tr>
<td>2015-03-30</td>
<td>6:30 PM</td>
<td><strong>Seattle</strong><br /><em>US</em></td>
<td><a href="http://FI.co/e/37151">Founder Institute Information Session</a></td>
<!--<td>Impact Hub - Bellevue</td>--></tr>
<tr>
<td>2015-03-30</td>
<td>7:00 PM</td>
<td><strong>London</strong><br /><em>United Kingdom</em></td>
<td><a href="http://FI.co/e/30981">Founder Institute Information Session</a></td>
<!--<td>TLT LLP</td>--></tr>
<tr>
<td>2015-03-30</td>
<td>7:00 PM</td>
<td><strong>Kuala Lumpur</strong><br /><em>Malaysia</em></td>
<td><a href="http://FI.co/e/42741">Life as an Entrepreneur vs Employee - Live Q&amp;A with Adeo Ressi (Founder Institute CEO)</a></td>
<!--<td>Training Room</td>--></tr>
<tr>
<td>2015-03-31</td>
<td>4:00 PM</td>
<td><strong>Santiago</strong><br /><em>Chile</em></td>
<td><a href="http://FI.co/e/31221">Founder Institute Information Session</a></td>
<!--<td>CMI (Centro Movistar Innova)</td>--></tr>
<tr>
<td>2015-03-31</td>
<td>6:30 PM</td>
<td><strong>Warsaw</strong><br /><em>Poland</em></td>
<td><a href="http://FI.co/e/39291">Startup Founder 101: Lean Startup</a></td>
<!--<td>Centrum Przedsiębiorczości Smolna</td>--></tr>
<tr>
<td>2015-04-01</td>
<td>6:30 PM</td>
<td><strong>Paris</strong><br /><em>France</em></td>
<td><a href="http://FI.co/e/38831">Startup Co-Founder 101: How to Find your co founder</a></td>
<!--<td>Microsoft France</td>--></tr>
<tr>
<td>2015-04-01</td>
<td>7:00 PM</td>
<td><strong>Hong Kong</strong><br /><em>Hong Kong</em></td>
<td><a href="http://FI.co/e/41741">Founder Institute VIP Semester Launch Mixer</a></td>
<!--<td>Aberdeen Street</td>--></tr>
<tr>
<td>2015-04-02</td>
<td>6:30 PM</td>
<td><strong>New York</strong><br /><em>US</em></td>
<td><a href="http://FI.co/e/38641">Startup Pitch Bootcamp</a></td>
<!--<td>Next Jump</td>--></tr>
<tr>
<td>2015-04-02</td>
<td>6:30 PM</td>
<td><strong>Seattle</strong><br /><em>US</em></td>
<td><a href="http://FI.co/e/42451">VIP Entrepreneur Mixer, with Founder Institute &amp; 9MileLabs </a></td>
<!--<td>SURF - Wells Fargo Bld</td>--></tr>
<tr>
<td>2015-04-04</td>
<td>11:00 AM</td>
<td><strong>Hyderabad</strong><br /><em>India</em></td>
<td><a href="http://FI.co/e/43371">How to Start a Startup in Hyderabad</a></td>
<!--<td>IIIT-H CIE (Incubator)</td>--></tr>
<tr>
<td>2015-04-06</td>
<td>6:00 PM</td>
<td><strong>Greenville</strong><br /><em>US</em></td>
<td><a href="http://FI.co/e/40251">Making the Leap from Employee to Entrepreneur</a></td>
<!--<td>NEXT Innovation Center</td>--></tr>
<tr>
<td>2015-04-06</td>
<td>6:30 PM</td>
<td><strong>Orange County</strong><br /><em>US</em></td>
<td><a href="http://FI.co/e/42371">Startup Co-Founder 101: How to Find the Right Partner</a></td>
<!--<td>Payoff</td>--></tr>
<tr>
<td>2015-04-06</td>
<td>7:30 PM</td>
<td><strong>Kuala Lumpur</strong><br /><em>Malaysia</em></td>
<td><a href="http://FI.co/e/43611">Founder Institute VIP Semester Launch Mixer</a></td>
<!--<td>10Binjai Restaurant</td>--></tr>
<tr>
<td>2015-04-07</td>
<td>6:30 PM</td>
<td><strong>Baltimore</strong><br /><em>US</em></td>
<td><a href="http://FI.co/e/41511">Making the Leap from Employee to Entrepreneur</a></td>
<!--<td>Baltimore Emerging Technology Center (ETC)</td>--></tr>
<tr>
<td>2015-04-08</td>
<td>6:30 PM</td>
<td><strong>New York</strong><br /><em>US</em></td>
<td><a href="http://FI.co/e/38631">Founder Institute Information Session</a></td>
<!--<td>Sparks &amp; Honey</td>--></tr>
<tr>
<td>2015-04-08</td>
<td>6:30 PM</td>
<td><strong>Tokyo</strong><br /><em>Japan</em></td>
<td><a href="http://FI.co/e/41241">起業のパートナーを探す方法</a></td>
<!--<td>SMBC日興証券（新丸ビル）</td>--></tr>
<tr>
<td>2015-04-08</td>
<td>6:30 PM</td>
<td><strong>Pachuca</strong><br /><em>Mexico</em></td>
<td><a href="http://FI.co/e/43601">Making the Leap from Employee to Entrepreneur</a></td>
<!--<td>Instituto Tecnológico Latinoamericano</td>--></tr>
<tr>
<td>2015-04-08</td>
<td>6:30 PM</td>
<td><strong>Paris</strong><br /><em>France</em></td>
<td><a href="http://FI.co/e/43821">Founder Institute VIP - 10th Semester - Meet a seasoned investor</a></td>
<!--<td>Microsoft Spark dans le Sentier</td>--></tr>
<tr>
<td>2015-04-09</td>
<td>6:30 PM</td>
<td><strong>Berlin</strong><br /><em>Germany</em></td>
<td><a href="http://FI.co/e/42431">Startup Funding 101: How to Raise Capital for Your Idea</a></td>
<!--<td>YOU IS NOW Startup-Incubator (inside ImmobilienScout)</td>--></tr>
<tr>
<td>2015-04-11</td>
<td>11:00 AM</td>
<td><strong>Hyderabad</strong><br /><em>India</em></td>
<td><a href="http://FI.co/e/43361">Startup Ideation Bootcamp</a></td>
<!--<td>IIIT-H CIE (Incubator)</td>--></tr>
<tr>
<td>2015-04-11</td>
<td>2:30 PM</td>
<td><strong>Shanghai</strong><br /><em>China</em></td>
<td><a href="http://FI.co/e/36261">创业者学院宣讲会</a></td>
<!--<td>23 Seed</td>--></tr>
<tr>
<td>2015-04-13</td>
<td>6:30 PM</td>
<td><strong>Warsaw</strong><br /><em>Poland</em></td>
<td><a href="http://FI.co/e/39281">Founder Institute Information Session</a></td>
<!--<td>Centrum Przedsiębiorczości Smolna</td>--></tr>
<tr>
<td>2015-04-14</td>
<td>6:00 PM</td>
<td><strong>Greenville</strong><br /><em>US</em></td>
<td><a href="http://FI.co/e/40241">Startup Funding 101: How to Raise Capital for Your Idea</a></td>
<!--<td>NEXT Innovation Center</td>--></tr>
<tr>
<td>2015-04-14</td>
<td>6:30 PM</td>
<td><strong>Baltimore</strong><br /><em>US</em></td>
<td><a href="http://FI.co/e/41501">How to Start a Startup in Baltimore</a></td>
<!--<td>Baltimore Emerging Technology Center (ETC)</td>--></tr>
<tr>
<td>2015-04-16</td>
<td>6:30 PM</td>
<td><strong>Santiago</strong><br /><em>Chile</em></td>
<td><a href="http://FI.co/e/31211">Startup Pitch Bootcamp</a></td>
<!--<td>Wayra Chile</td>--></tr>
<tr>
<td>2015-04-16</td>
<td>6:30 PM</td>
<td><strong>Curitiba</strong><br /><em>Brazil</em></td>
<td><a href="http://FI.co/e/41721">Making the Leap from Employee to Entrepreneur</a></td>
<!--<td>IBQP Center for Innovation - the Brazilian Institute for Quality &amp; Productivity</td>--></tr>
<tr>
<td>2015-04-16</td>
<td>6:30 PM</td>
<td><strong>Orange County</strong><br /><em>US</em></td>
<td><a href="http://FI.co/e/42361">Startup Ideation Bootcamp</a></td>
<!--<td>Eureka Building</td>--></tr>
<tr>
<td>2015-04-16</td>
<td>6:30 PM</td>
<td><strong>Berlin</strong><br /><em>Germany</em></td>
<td><a href="http://FI.co/e/42421">Startup Legal 101</a></td>
<!--<td>YOU IS NOW Startup-Incubator (inside ImmobilienScout)</td>--></tr>
<tr>
<td>2015-04-18</td>
<td>11:00 AM</td>
<td><strong>Hyderabad</strong><br /><em>India</em></td>
<td><a href="http://FI.co/e/43351">Founder Institute Information Session</a></td>
<!--<td>IIIT-H CIE (Incubator)</td>--></tr>
<tr>
<td>2015-04-21</td>
<td>6:00 PM</td>
<td><strong>Greenville</strong><br /><em>US</em></td>
<td><a href="http://FI.co/e/40231">Founder Institute Information Session</a></td>
<!--<td>NEXT Innovation Center</td>--></tr>
<tr>
<td>2015-04-21</td>
<td>6:30 PM</td>
<td><strong>Baltimore</strong><br /><em>US</em></td>
<td><a href="http://FI.co/e/41491">Founder Institute Information Session</a></td>
<!--<td>Baltimore Emerging Technology Center (ETC)</td>--></tr>
<tr>
<td>2015-04-22</td>
<td>6:30 PM</td>
<td><strong>Pachuca</strong><br /><em>Mexico</em></td>
<td><a href="http://FI.co/e/43581">Founder Institute Information Session</a></td>
<!--<td>Centro de Vinculación y Desarrollo Educativo (CEVIDE)</td>--></tr>
<tr>
<td>2015-04-23</td>
<td>6:30 PM</td>
<td><strong>Santiago</strong><br /><em>Chile</em></td>
<td><a href="http://FI.co/e/31191">Founder Institute Information Session</a></td>
<!--<td>Wayra Chile</td>--></tr>
<tr>
<td>2015-04-23</td>
<td>6:30 PM</td>
<td><strong>Warsaw</strong><br /><em>Poland</em></td>
<td><a href="http://FI.co/e/39271">Founder Office Hours</a></td>
<!--<td>Centrum Przedsiębiorczości Smolna</td>--></tr>
<tr>
<td>2015-04-23</td>
<td>6:30 PM</td>
<td><strong>Berlin</strong><br /><em>Germany</em></td>
<td><a href="http://FI.co/e/42441">Founder Institute Information Session</a></td>
<!--<td>YOU IS NOW Startup-Incubator (inside ImmobilienScout)</td>--></tr>
<tr>
<td>2015-04-25</td>
<td>11:00 AM</td>
<td><strong>Hyderabad</strong><br /><em>India</em></td>
<td><a href="http://FI.co/e/43341">Making the Leap from Employee to Entrepreneur</a></td>
<!--<td>IIIT-H CIE (Incubator)</td>--></tr>
<tr>
<td>2015-04-27</td>
<td>6:30 PM</td>
<td><strong>Warsaw</strong><br /><em>Poland</em></td>
<td><a href="http://FI.co/e/39261">Startup Pitch Bootcamp</a></td>
<!--<td>Centrum Przedsiębiorczości Smolna</td>--></tr>
</tbody>
</table>Mon, 30 Mar 2015 10:35:00 -0700http://FI.co/posts/507
Startup Founders: Failure Is NOT An Option<p><strong><a href="http://FI.co/" target="_blank">The Founder Institute</a> CEO, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/adeoressi" target="_blank">Adeo Ressi</a></strong> discusses the culture of failure within the startup community, which was featured in a Forbes video titled &ldquo;<a href="http://www.forbes.com/video/4120513313001/" target="_blank">FAIL ACADEMY: The Culture Of Failure</a>.&rdquo; Silicon Valley has embraced failure as part of the startup scene, but it may be for the wrong reasons.</p>
<p>There is nothing wrong with failure as it allows founders to reflect from past mistakes in hopes that they will not be repeated in the future. Failure grows founders and challenges them to work harder than ever before in order to achieve success. It motivates them to push boundaries or reveals to them the real struggles behind entrepreneurship.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The success of a company comes down to the dedication and perseverance of the founder.&rdquo;</p>
</blockquote>
<p>However, founders should not be comfortable with the idea of failure. A company is put at risk when a founder does not take responsibility and ownership for their mistakes.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 60px;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/l4rYAFOv1YM" width="640" height="360"></iframe></p>
<h4 style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;">Like this article?</h4>
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</table>Fri, 27 Mar 2015 12:45:00 -0700http://FI.co/posts/14401
The Founder Lab Returns to Help Strengthen Promising Startups. Applications Now Open!<p dir="ltr">As the world&rsquo;s largest entrepreneur training and startup launch program, the Founder Institute has launched more than 1,500 companies across 50 countries since 2009. As part of our efforts to accelerate exceptional founders to the next step in their development, the Founder Institute is proud to announce the return of the <a href="http://www.founderlab.com/" target="_blank">Founder Lab</a> program.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>The <a href="http://founderlab.com" target="_blank">Spring 2015 Founder Lab</a> is now accepting applications, until the Final Deadline on April 12, 2015. </strong></p>
<p dir="ltr">This program will give seed-stage startups the opportunity to spend 10 days in Silicon Valley learning valuable skills from world-renowned entrepreneurs and investors. Participating founders will leave the program with a fully refined pitch-deck, a plan to grow their KPIs and product, access to a global network of founders and investors, and a tactical strategy to raise funding. As a bonus, the program culminates at the <a href="http://foundershowcase.com/" target="_blank">16th Founder Showcase</a>, where they can demo their product to more than 400 investors and network with industry professionals.</p>
<h3 dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.founderlab.com/" target="_blank">Take your startup to the next level with Silicon Valley experts and apply to the Founder Lab today!</a></h3>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>This exclusive program will cover such topics as:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium;">Securing a lead investor</span></p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium;">Measuring and growing your KPIs</span></p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium;">Improving your user experience</span></p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium;">Building media relationships</span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>Past Mentors in the Founder Lab program include:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>Aaron Patzer </strong>-&nbsp;Founder &amp; CEO, Mint.com</span></p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>Adeo Ressi</strong>&nbsp;- Founder &amp; CEO, The Founder Institute</span></p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>Carter Laren</strong>&nbsp;- CEO &amp; Co-Founder, MOX</span></p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>Justin Wilcox</strong>&nbsp;- Founder, Nimbus Health</span></p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>Nir Eyal</strong>&nbsp;- Co-Founder &amp; CEO, AdNectar</span></p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>Peter Pham</strong> - Co-Founder, Science</span></p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>Ziv Gillat</strong> - Co-Founder &amp; VP Business Development, Eye-fi</span></p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr"><em><strong><span style="font-size: medium;">And many more!</span></strong></em></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>If your company can benefit from exposure to top entrepreneurial experts in Silicon Valley, apply to the Founder Lab today at: <a href="http://www.founderlab.com/" target="_blank">http://www.founderlab.com/</a></h3>Thu, 26 Mar 2015 14:15:00 -0700http://FI.co/posts/14521
GamingBattleGround Scores Big at Startup Competitions<p dir="ltr"><strong><a href="http://www.gamingbattleground.com/" target="_blank">GamingBattleGround</a>, a<a href="http://www.fi.co/apply/" target="_blank"> Zagreb Founder Institute</a> graduate</strong>, is a platform where amateur and casual video gamers can join or create their own tournaments with their own rules and set their own tournaments fees, while rewards are based on the amount of fees collected.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The company was selected as top teams for the &ldquo;<a href="http://startupsauna.com/accelerator/" target="_blank">Startup Sauna Acceleration Program</a>,&rdquo; which connects the most promising startups from Nordics, Eastern Europe and Russia with experienced serial entrepreneurs, investors and other industry experts through an <a href="http://www.innovationfund.rs/startup-sauna-belgrade-2/" target="_blank">intensive one month accelerator program</a>. In addition, GamingBattleGround was selected to participate in the <a href="http://brownforum.net/pages/geek-business-camp" target="_blank">Geek Business Camp</a>, an ICT-focused start-up camp, which 30 young ICT entrepreneurs from Southeast and Central Europe will spend four days learning how to develop their software startup ideas into viable businesses. <a href="http://11.me/about-eleven/" target="_blank">Eleven accelerator</a> also selected GamingBattleGround into the final phase of their application process.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The future goals of GamingBattleGround is to apply for Techstars, present at the Pioneers festival, Shift conference, Startup AddVenture and compete at Kairos CEE Venture Competition.</p>
<p><em><strong>For more information on GamingBattleGround and their startup progress visit their <a href="http://www.gamingbattleground.com/" target="_blank">official website</a>. </strong></em></p>Thu, 26 Mar 2015 12:05:00 -0700http://FI.co/posts/14511
Customer Experience Lessons From Experts at Hewlett-Packard, Sony, and Apple<p style="color: #777777; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px;" dir="ltr"><strong>The Founder Institute recently concluded its inaugural&nbsp;<a style="color: #327ba7;" href="http://FI.co/founderlab" target="_blank">Founder Lab</a>&nbsp;program, in which various promising seed-stage startups from around the globe spent a week in Silicon Valley working with world-renowned entrepreneurs and investors.</strong></p>
<p style="color: #777777; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px;" dir="ltr">Despite the short duration of the program, participating companies went home with a fully refined pitch-deck, access to the Founder Institute&rsquo;s global network of founders and investors, and a tactical 2015 execution plan to raise funding, grow KPIs, develop product, and more.</p>
<p style="color: #777777; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px;" dir="ltr"><strong>If your company can benefit from exposure to Silicon Valley&rsquo;s most valuable startup resources, learn how you can join the the next&nbsp;<a style="color: #327ba7;" href="http://FI.co/founderlab" target="_blank">Founder Lab</a>&nbsp;program.</strong></p>
<blockquote>
<p dir="ltr">Bringing a new product to market, customer experience is a perfect guiding light. When you think about experience design, at the heart of it, it deals with the challenges of the old and the new colliding with each other." - Sony</p>
</blockquote>
<p dir="ltr">During the program, founders were mentored by renowned UX design managers from tech giants like Hewlett-Packard, Sony, Cisco, and Apple. <a href="http://FI.co/posts/13281" target="_blank">The Winter 2014 Founder Lab</a>&nbsp;program also ventured into the&nbsp;head<span id="ws-word-wrapper-31">quarters</span>&nbsp;of HP in Silicon Valley.</p>
<p dir="ltr">In this installment of <a href="http://www.founderlab.com" target="_blank">Founder Lab</a>, we take a sneak peek into HP&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBnf_lHxPdE" target="_blank">SPROUT</a> lab and learn tactics for pleasing customers through user experience. The critical role that design plays within the technology world, is helping engineers make the right trade-offs and decisions.<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordimorillo" target="_blank"> Jordi Morillo,</a> Blended Reality UX Design Manager for HP quotes,</p>
<blockquote>
<p dir="ltr">Design professionals are trained to understand and define which are those low level components of an experience - color, style, layout, finish in a project - that actually communicate those high-level values that the brand is trying to create. The underlying goal is to define and design the journey for the customer.&rdquo;</p>
</blockquote>
<p dir="ltr">Below we've listed over twenty tips, cited from leading Silicon Valley UX experts, on how to begin mapping out your customer&rsquo;s exploration through your product:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 60px;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2nAvz05CVQk" width="640" height="360"></iframe></p>
<ol>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">&ldquo;Don&rsquo;t talk about the technology until you really understand what you&rsquo;re doing.&rdquo;</p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">&ldquo;The mission of the Web UX team is to establish the Strategy and Design for a global system that provides a world-class experience for consumer web ecosystem.&rdquo;</p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">"The user interface is the product. But, you can replace that with packaging or the marketing materials, every touch point is an opportunity to deliver your core values. As an entrepreneur you&rsquo;re going to have to decide where I am going to focus my attention or resources to get those details right, because it really matters for your customers. But in the end it all matters."</p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">&ldquo;Take advantage of human senses and appeal to each as much as possible to reinforce who you are as a brand and why this product exists.&rdquo;</p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">&ldquo;As an entrepreneur, if you can nail having a very concrete understanding and vision of what you want your end to end experience to be and orchestrate, you're going to be very successful.&rdquo;</p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">&ldquo;Starting with the pain points is very helpful to figure out the user journey experience."</p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">"The good thing about customer interviews is that you don't have to do 100 of them, you can get a very good indication of the big themes from 6-8 interviews. You can use surveys to quantify your richest insights from one session of a customer interview."</p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">"Your new technology needs to be purposeful. Use technology to provide best interaction for your customers."</p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">"When you ask customers what THEY want, that's not always what YOU want to build."</p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">"Customers may know what feels right, but they cannot articulate what feels wrong."</p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">"Good experience is user-centric features. If one thing changes, it changes it all."</p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">&ldquo;What are the 5 tangible touch points or experience elements that you want to use as the vehicle to communicate your value proposition? You need to create and always improve them.&rdquo;</p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">&ldquo;You need to make the user believe that the value that they&rsquo;re getting is much higher than the price they&rsquo;re paying.&rdquo;</p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">&ldquo;In order to have success in a market, you have to balance three domains, the business, the people and technology.&rdquo;</p>
</li>
</ol>
<h3 dir="ltr">Exclusive Tips from Sony:</h3>
<p dir="ltr">&nbsp;<strong>Digital design Principles for Human:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">Give me benefits, not features.</p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">Show me how it will fit into my life.</p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">Be Interesting.</p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">Inspire me with how I can use the product.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>&nbsp;Digital design Principles for Simple:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">Explain it to me so I understand.</p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">Don&rsquo;t overwhelm me with information.</p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">Favor the clear over the comprehensive.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p dir="ltr">&nbsp;<strong>Digital design Principles for Original:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">Themed offering only you can deliver.</p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">Connect the breadth of your offerings.</p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">Go behind the Scenes.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p dir="ltr">&nbsp;<strong>Digital design Principles for Social:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">Service community activity.</p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">Bring in the voices of owners.</p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">Offer and expose human interactions.</p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">Bring in outside perspectives.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>We&rsquo;ve passed the point for most software-as-a-service products where UX used to be a competitive advantage; in some markets, it is now basic customer expectation.&rdquo; - Jeff Lash, SiriusDecisions.</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr"><em style="color: #777777; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px;"><strong>If you&rsquo;re interested in learning more about what the Founder Lab has to offer,&nbsp;<a style="color: #327ba7;" href="http://FI.co/founderlab" target="_blank">click here for more information</a>.</strong></em></p>
<p dir="ltr">&nbsp;</p>Thu, 26 Mar 2015 04:50:00 -0700http://FI.co/posts/14491
Realty Mogul interviewed on GlobeSt.com, TourSnapp featured in Sonntags Journal, and more<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium;"><em><strong>Since launching in 2009, the Founder Institute has helped launch over 1,310 new technology companies across 85 cities, 40 countries, and six continents.</strong></em></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium;"><em><strong>These companies have gone on to do great things, and create over 10,000+ new jobs.</strong></em></span></p>
<p>Over the past week, PlantID3 <span>is </span>finalist in the Canada Global Impact Competition<span id="docs-internal-guid-4933ea45-5284-b6b5-2400-85c1b7b9cd9a">, Realty Mogul new hire Shea Pallente</span> interviewed in GlobeSt.com, TourSnapp featured in Sonntags Journal, and more Grad News.</p>
<p>Below is a roundup of recent Founder Institute Graduates in the news:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.canimpact.ca/gic-finalists/" target="_blank"><span id="docs-internal-guid-4933ea45-5284-b6b5-2400-85c1b7b9cd9a">PlantID3 becomes </span>finalist in the Canada Global Impact Competition: <em>Singularity University CANIMPACT Finalists</em></a> (<strong><span id="docs-internal-guid-ee0f96a5-0eff-14b7-5ac5-b0428633614e">CANIMPACT</span></strong>): <span id="docs-internal-guid-4933ea45-5284-b6b5-2400-85c1b7b9cd9a"><a href="http://www.plantid3.com/" target="_blank">PlantID3</a>, a Bay Area Graduate,</span>is using photo recognition software and lab on a chip to provide overall agrology service providing plant health, species and stress data for farm and garden operations.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.globest.com/news/12_1071/orangecounty/finance/Commercial-and-Equity-Will-Hit-the-Crowd-356341-1.html" target="_blank">Realty Mogul new hire Shea Pallente interviewed in GlobeSt.com: <em>Commercial and Equity Will Hit the Crowd</em></a> (<strong></strong><strong>GlobeSt.com</strong>): <span id="docs-internal-guid-4933ea45-5284-b6b5-2400-85c1b7b9cd9a"><a href="https://www.realtymogul.com/" target="_blank">Realty Mogul</a>, a </span>Los Angeles graduate,<strong> </strong>is an an online marketplace for accredited investors to pool money and buy shares of pre-vetted investment properties.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.sonntagsjournal.de/pu_sj/epaper_ausgaben/ausgaben/sjnz_150322.pdf" target="_blank">TourSnapp featured in Sonntags Journal: <em>The app becomes a guide</em></a> (<strong></strong><strong>Sonntags Journal</strong>):<a href="http://www.toursnapp.com/" target="_blank"> TourSnapp</a>, a Berlin graduate, allows tourists reach reliable cultural information in-site and Tourism Institutions promote their cultural heritage.</li>
<li><a href="http://upstart.bizjournals.com/resources/executive-forum/2015/03/20/hey-boss-here-are-5-steps-to-start-delegating.html" target="_blank">&nbsp;CEO of Zirtual, Maren Kate Donovan<span> advice </span><span>on delegate duties: </span><em>Hey, boss - Here are 5 steps to start delegating </em></a>(<strong></strong><strong>Upstart Business Journal</strong>): <a href="https://www.zirtual.com/" target="_blank">Zirtual</a>, a Bay Area graduate, connects busy people with quality, long-term virtual assistants.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.eweek.com/mobile/apple-watch-app-developers-finding-help-from-online-coourses.html" target="_blank">Udemy offers online courses for developers: <em>Apple Watch App Developers Finding Help From Online Courses</em></a> (<strong></strong><strong>eWeek.com</strong>): <a href="https://www.udemy.com/" target="_blank">Udemy</a>, a Bay Area graduate, marketplace for online courses.<span class="small"><strong> <br /></strong></span>
<div id="stcpDiv" style="position: absolute; top: -1999px; left: -1988px;">Apple Watch App Developers Finding Help From Online Courses - See more at: http://www.eweek.com/mobile/apple-watch-app-developers-finding-help-from-online-coourses.html#sthash.SQYdgIjp.dpuf</div>
<div id="stcpDiv" style="position: absolute; top: -1999px; left: -1988px;">Apple Watch App Developers Finding Help From Online Courses - See more at: http://www.eweek.com/mobile/apple-watch-app-developers-finding-help-from-online-coourses.html#sthash.SQYdgIjp.dpuf</div>
</li>
</ul>
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Customer Definition: Customers Are People Too<p><em><strong>The article, "<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/customer-definition-customers-people-too-ben-larson" rel="canonical" target="_blank">Customer Definition: Customers Are People Too</a>", was written by <a href="https://twitter.com/blars0n" rel="author" target="_blank">Ben Larson</a>, the Director of the Summer 2015 Semester of the <a href="http://FI.co/apply/san_francisco/blog" target="_blank">San Francisco Founder Institute</a>. It has been republished with permission below.</strong></em></p>
<p>One of the biggest and most common mistakes that I see early entrepreneurs make is a failure to properly define their customer. Why is&nbsp;<strong>customer definition</strong>&nbsp;so important? Put simply, someone has to buy your product. You need to know who that person is and why they're going to buy whatever it is you are selling. As&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adeo_Ressi" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Adeo Ressi</a>&nbsp;(CEO of the&nbsp;<a href="http://fi.co/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Founder Institute</a>) is often heard saying, "customers are not inanimate objects"; you cannot sell to Fortune 500 companies, elementary schools, large retailers, SMBs, and so on.&nbsp;<em>You sell to&nbsp;<strong>people</strong></em>. Note that "people" does not mean anyone with a smartphone, all millennials, or professionals that use LinkedIn. You need to start with a definitively targeted customer so that you know how to serve their needs, speak their language, and help them solve a problem.</p>
<p>There is a ton of literature available for developing customer archetypes and how to use them, but I want to begin with a simpler approach. Empathy. Try to understand who you are selling to, and what their needs and constraints are. You will end up building a better offering through a stronger product roadmap, and you'll have more success when selling your company to various stakeholders.</p>
<p>Below are some guiding questions that will put you in the right mindset to be empathetic to your ideal customer.</p>
<h3>1. How old is your customer?</h3>
<p>Knowing the average age of your target market allows you to connect and speak to your customers. From the verbiage you use, to the social media channels you leverage, to the time of day you communicate, to the related services and applications you associate with, it is dependent on the age of your target customer.</p>
<h3>2. What is the gender of your customer?</h3>
<p>Similar to the question above, gender may play a large role in how you communicate with your customers. Some products are very gender-specific, while others are less so. Furthermore, this may significantly impact the design and the look and feel of your brand.</p>
<h3>3. What is your customer's job title or employment status?</h3>
<p>Job title or employment status open up a whole "can of worms" when it comes to understanding your customer. What are they trying to accomplish day-to-day? Who are they trying to impress? Are they in the office or on the road? All these factors can help you understand the role your product or service plays in their life.</p>
<h3>4. When will your customer be using your service?</h3>
<p>This is one of the more important questions to ask yourself when developing your offering. Whether it's the device they'll be using, their planned length of engagement, or the mood they're in, much will be influenced by the time of day or the activities in which your product or service is engaged.</p>
<h3>5. What is your customer's name? Where do they live? Where are they from? What kind of music do they listen to? Do they have kids? Are they a kid? etc.</h3>
<p>Okay, this is going a little deep into actually establishing a customer archetype, but if you can answer these questions, why not get more in touch with who you are building your product for?</p>
<p>The whole point of all this is that you are building your company for your customer. Again, your customer is a person, not an inanimate object. This will be very important in all aspects of your company, whether it's the design and messaging of your landing page, building your pitch deck for investors, or telling a convincing story to potential team members. Please post your comments and questions below and I'd be happy to discuss this further.</p>
<p><em><strong>Just remember, you want to&nbsp;know&nbsp;<span style="text-decoration: underline;">who</span>&nbsp;your customer is.</strong></em></p>
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Udemy increases global presence with new partnerships<p><strong><a href="http://www.udemy.com/" target="_blank">Udemy</a>, <a href="http://FI.co/contents/enrolling" target="_blank">Bay Area Founder Institute Graduate</a></strong>, is the leading global marketplace for learning and online courses, announced a new partnership with Japanese education and publishing powerhouse Benesse, which was reported in a PR Newswire article titled &ldquo;<a href="http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/udemy-continues-international-expansion-with-benesse-partnership-300050582.html" target="_blank">Udemy continues international expansion with Benesse partnership</a>&rdquo;. This new partnership is Udemy's latest initiative to expand into the global market, which the company plans to continue with new partnerships over the coming year.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Udemy has continued to increase its international presence and course offerings to support growing demand around the world. These expansion efforts include opening its first European office in Dublin, Ireland, in the fall of 2014 and a rollout of international currency localization. The company plans to launch additional currencies in the next coming months.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The partnership with Benesse will give students access to a wide range of the company's Japanese-language educational content through the Udemy online platform. At least one hundred Japanese-language courses produced by Benesse will be available through Udemy by the end of April 2015.</p>
<p dir="ltr">"We want to make it as easy as possible for students, regardless of location, to access the right courses in order to develop the skills they need. The Japanese market is a major priority for Udemy.&rdquo;</p>
<p><em><strong>For more information on Udemy&rsquo;s unique service, visit their <a href="http://www.udemy.com/" target="_blank">official website</a>.</strong></em></p>
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Before You Create Your Product, Create Your Value Proposition: A Formula For Success<p dir="ltr"><strong>Your value proposition matters.</strong> It is the face of your product and how customers perceive your company. But most founders decide to create their value proposition after they create their product.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Why is that?</p>
<p dir="ltr">A few weeks ago, I wrote a post, "<a href="http://FI.co/posts/12791" target="_blank">How to have your customers build your product for you,</a>" that covered a variety of topics, including the importance of your value proposition. In the short guide, the first step was to create your value proposition <em>before </em>you create your product.&nbsp;This post is a deeper dive into the subject of value propositions and how you can create one that won't land your company in the startup graveyard.</p>
<p dir="ltr">In order to create a successful value proposition for your company you will need to identify three elements:&nbsp;<strong>What you want</strong>,<strong> what your customer wants</strong>, and<strong>&nbsp;what will generate reveneue. </strong>Determing&nbsp;these three components will help your company avoid potential obstacles in the future and stay on the path to success. Here is how you can get started.</p>
<h2 dir="ltr">What You Want</h2>
<p dir="ltr"><img style="vertical-align: middle; margin-left: 70px; margin-right: 70px;" src="http://FI.co/system/upload/What_do_you_want_from_your_company.jpg" alt="What you want in your value proposition" width="610" height="328" /></p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>What Motivates You?</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr">What most founders don&rsquo;t realize is the importance of creating a company that agrees with their personal mission. You are going to be the one that drives the company, and if you don&rsquo;t even like it, how can you expect your customers to?</p>
<p dir="ltr">First and foremost, you need to create a product that you can see yourself working on for the next 5-10 years of your life.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Why?</p>
<p dir="ltr">Because that is how long it usually takes startup founders to create a great success in a company that they start. If you don&rsquo;t think that you&rsquo;d like your product 5 years from now, consider creating one that you will.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Almost all successful startup founders will tell you the same. Founder Institute Mentor George Deeb explains this idea well:</p>
<blockquote>Passion is one of those intangibles that drives an entrepreneur, gets them through the good times and the bad times, and ultimately dictates the success of any startup. &nbsp;If you are not passionate about what you are building, you might as well pack up your bags right now, as your startup will never work.&rdquo;</blockquote>
<p dir="ltr">Being passionate about what you&rsquo;re doing may be more important than you think. In order to do this, list three motivating factors, other than money, that you have for starting your company. If you struggle to come up with three non-monetary reasons for launching a startup, you may want to find another idea.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Once you are able to identify what motivates you and what you&rsquo;re passionate about, you should begin to set clear goals for your company.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>What Do You Want for Your Company?</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr">All startup founders have goals for what they want to achieve with their company. Many want to get funded and achieve a massive exit while others just want to focus on making the world a better place with their offering.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Regardless of what you want for your company, you should have defined goals as they will dictate the way you approach your business. Everyone goes about setting goals in different ways, but here are some good questions to keep in mind:</p>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">Do you want to get funding and have an exit?</p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">Do you want to bootstrap and avoid investor pressure?</p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">Will you focus on gaining a large user base?</p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">Will you focus on generating revenue?</p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">What are the most important things for your company to deliver to the end customer?</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p dir="ltr">Depending on how you answered these questions, you may approach your business in a variety of ways.</p>
<p dir="ltr">As you continue building your company, keep your answers to these questions in mind as they will guide you when making important decisions.</p>
<h2 dir="ltr">What Your Customer Wants</h2>
<p><img style="margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px;" src="http://FI.co/system/upload/What_your_customer_wants_value_proposition.jpg" alt="Your Customer Value Proposition" width="750" height="150" /></p>
<p dir="ltr">The main indicator of the health of a startup is the quality and quantity of your customers. If your company can acquire and keep customers, you have much greater chance to succeed, generate revenue, and acquire funding.</p>
<p dir="ltr">So why then do so many founders get caught up in building their company and lose touch with their customers? You can spend months building a product, but if you fail to remember what your customer wants, you risk having your product fail. <em>Don&rsquo;t fall into this trap.</em></p>
<p dir="ltr">Initially, customers will not care about your company. They won&rsquo;t care about all of the hard work that you&rsquo;ve done and all of the late nights that you spent building it. The only question that your customers will have is &ldquo;What&rsquo;s in it for me?&rdquo;</p>
<p dir="ltr">Once you can answer that question is when you can start getting them to care about your company and your product.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Your value proposition will do exactly that, as it will influence what your customers think about your company and your product. Here is how you can ensure your value proposition aligns with what they want.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>Research Your Competition</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr">One of the best ways to discover what your customers want is to determine what products they currently use that are similar to your company's offering.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Once you've identified your competition, you can begin to search for reviews on those products. What do the customer reviews say? Try to pinpoint some of these key elements:</p>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">Obvious things that customers want, but are missing from existing products</p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">Existing features that customers want executed better</p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">Features that customers don&rsquo;t like or want removed</p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">User experience complaints</p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">Customer service complaints</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p dir="ltr">Now you can build your value proposition and your product to capitalize on features that are missing in your market. This will also help you come up with an impactful selling proposition.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>Be Empathetic to Your Customer&rsquo;s Plight</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr">Many startups are created because the founder is also the ideal customer. They want a better product in the market that they would use themselves, so they go and create one. If you are that kind of founder, you will understand this subject with ease.</p>
<p dir="ltr">If you are not one of those founders, put yourself in your customer&rsquo;s shoes and ask yourself, if you were your customer, what would you want out of your product?</p>
<p dir="ltr">Once you identify some things that you think customers would like about your product, create a few hypotheses so you can test them in customer interviews.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>Interview your Customers</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr">Once you have some hypotheses about what your customer would want from your product, you can begin to interview your customers to validate them.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The slideshow below will help you better understand what your customer wants and includes a customer interview outline you can use to gather feedback for your company.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;" dir="ltr"><iframe src="http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/45907080" width="700" height="450" scrolling="no"> </iframe></p>
<h2 dir="ltr">What Will Make You Money</h2>
<p dir="ltr">If you can put together what you want and what your customers want into your company&rsquo;s value proposition, you are on the right track. However, there is still one more detail to consider.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Ultimately, your company needs to have a plan to make money. In many situations, inexperienced founders will back themselves into a corner because they create something that both they and their customers like, but just does not have the revenue potential to turn into a successful company. Many founders often neglect to focus on monetizing, and instead concentrate on acquiring funding to pay their bills.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Monetization should not be ignored! When raising a funding round, your company will still need a large amount of revenue potential.</p>
<p dir="ltr">So how can you tweak your value proposition to represent a product that has great revenue potential?</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>Symmetric vs. Asymmetric Model</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr">Munjal Shah, CEO and Founder of Like.com (acquired by Google) explains revenue potential of startups in the video below, showing the difference between "high intent, low traffic products" and "low intent, high traffic products". These two types of products are also broken down into having a symmetric and an asymmetric plans.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;" dir="ltr"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BGogabj_cIA" width="700" height="450"></iframe></p>
<p dir="ltr"><em>High Intent, Low Traffic Product</em></p>
<p dir="ltr">An example of a high intent, low traffic product would be most products in the SaaS industry. Let&rsquo;s use Salesforce.com as an example. Their company has a symmetric revenue model because their users pay for their services directly. They also are considered low traffic because there is no way that they could ever reach a market as large as, say, Facebook's. However, they are considered high intent because the traffic and leads that they do get are very likely to buy their product.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><em>High Traffic, Low Intent Product</em></p>
<p dir="ltr">Now, for a high traffic, low intent product we will use Facebook as an example. They reach a huge market, and are one of the largest websites on the internet. But how often do you log into facebook with your credit card in your hand ready to buy something? Probably not very often.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Their revenue model relies on their ability to acquire large amounts of users and essentially let advertisers pay to get in front of their audience. This is an asymmetric model because the users of the site are not the ones paying for it, the advertisers are.</p>
<p dir="ltr">In addition, as Munjal explains, there is &ldquo;nirvana,&rdquo; which is to target a large market with high intent. Create your company&rsquo;s value proposition to target one of the 3 successful quadrants in the chart below, and you'll be setting yourself up for success. Here is an updated version of Munjal's chart:</p>
<p dir="ltr"><img src="http://FI.co/system/upload/Consumer_Intent_for_Commercial.png" alt="" width="700" height="500" /></p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>Will Your Value Proposition Land You in Death Valley?</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr">Sadly, a large majority of startups land in death valley. They neither target the high traffic sector, nor do they target the high intent sector. If you start building your company from day one to target the right sector, you will likely be able to create a lasting and successful company.</p>
<h2 dir="ltr"><strong>See this in action</strong></h2>
<p dir="ltr">Just like the example used in my post, "<a href="12791">How to Have Your Customer Build Your Product For You</a>", let&rsquo;s tweak the Founder Institute&rsquo;s value proposition to show an example of how changing your value proposition can change the focus of your company. Each value proposition shown here could be used for a slightly different version of the company. Let&rsquo;s see why we settled on &ldquo;Make the Leap from Employee to Entrepreneur.&rdquo;</p>
<p dir="ltr"><em>A Free Entrepreneur Training Program</em> - Asymmetric, Low Intent, Moderate Traffic potential. We are still helping entrepreneurs, and our customers would like it, but what about revenue potential? This value proposition would force us into a free model. With an asymmetric model, it would be a tough job to get enough users and traffic to make a meaningful amount of revenue and become a successful company. A value proposition like that would be likely to set us up for failure.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><em>Entrepreneur training for Broke Founders</em> - Symmetric, Low Intent, Moderate Traffic Potential. We are still helping entrepreneurs succeed, but with a symmetric model our revenue potential wouldn&rsquo;t be effective because &ldquo;Broke Founders&rdquo; are likely to have low buying intent. Since we are not targeting a broad market, our traffic potential would not be so great either. Once again, we would be setting ourselves up for failure.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><em>Make the Leap from Employee to Entrepreneur -</em>&nbsp;Symmetric, High Intent, Low Traffic. When we decide to&nbsp;specifically&nbsp;target employees that would like to become entrepreneurs, we are targeting a market that has a high buying intent. This allows us to continue to grow and be successful because we&rsquo;ve decided to create our product based off of something that we&rsquo;re passionate about, our customers love, and has the desired amount of revenue potential.</p>
<h2 dir="ltr">Conclusion</h2>
<p dir="ltr">Don't create your value proposition after you create your product! Create it first.</p>
<p dir="ltr">If you are able to overcome these 3 hurdles with your value proposition, before you build your product, you will be setting your company up for success. Most founders create their company around a value proposition that only sounds good to them. Don&rsquo;t ignore your customers and don&rsquo;t ignore your revenue potential while you establish the direction of your company and product. Now get out there and create a successful company!</p>
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How to Instill Value into Your Worthless Startup Idea<p><em><strong>Inside FI gives you exclusive access inside the training sessions of the Founder Institute. To get updates when we release new videos, follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/@founding" target="_blank">Twitter</a>&nbsp;or <a href="http://bit.ly/fi_subscribe" target="_blank">subscribe to our weekly newsletter here</a>.</strong></em></p>
<p>In this talk by <strong><a href="https://twitter.com/gzicherm" target="_blank">Gabe Zichermann</a>,&nbsp;</strong>Director of the&nbsp;<a href="http://FI.co/apply/new_york/blog" target="_blank">New York Founder Institute</a>,&nbsp;Zichermann shares critical advice for getting your startup off the ground. If you&rsquo;re reading this, you&rsquo;re in luck: the first step is beginning to execute. "If you&rsquo;ve already started working on your idea,&rdquo; he says, &ldquo;you&rsquo;re ahead of 99 percent of people who want to start a company."<br /><br /><em><strong>Gabe Zichermann is an author, highly rated public speaker and entrepreneur. He is the chair of the <a href="http://www.gamification.co/" target="_blank">Gamification Summit </a>and editor of the industry&rsquo;s leading publication, The Gamification Blog. Gabe is a top rated startup mentor and a Co-Director of the New York Founder Institute, which is hosting a <a href="http://www.fi.co/courses/38651" target="_blank">free event</a> on Wednesday, March 25.</strong></em></p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/21604854" width="500" height="281"></iframe></p>
<p style="margin: 12px auto 6px auto; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none; display: block;"><a style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View Pillsbury October 10 Vision and Values - Gabe Zichermann on Scribd" href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/109702717/Pillsbury-October-10-Vision-and-Values-Gabe-Zichermann?secret_password=jo6laydrtbmhe2bzpwn">Pillsbury October 10 Vision and Values - Gabe Zichermann</a> by <a style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View Founder Institute's profile on Scribd" href="http://www.scribd.com/FounderInstitute">Founder Institute</a></p>
<p><em><strong>If you'd like to learn more about how the New York Founder Institute can help you turn your idea into a startup, come to the <a href="http://www.fi.co/courses/38651" target="_blank">free Founder Institute Information Session</a> on Wednesday, March 25.</strong></em></p>
<h4 style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</h4>Mon, 23 Mar 2015 17:20:00 -0700http://FI.co/posts/3441
How Jeffrey Paine Became a Startup Ecosystem Leader in Singapore<p><strong><a href="https://twitter.com/@jpaine" target="_blank">Jeffrey Paine</a></strong> is one of the most active startup ecosystem leaders in all of Asia. Besides being a thought leader in Asia&rsquo;s most important startup publications, Jeff leads the <a href="http://FI.co/s/singapore" target="_blank">Singapore Founder Institute</a>, has helped launch numerous Founder Institute chapters across Southeast Asia, and is the Co-Founder and General Partner of <a href="http://goldengate.vc/" target="_blank">Golden Gate Ventures</a>.</p>
<p>It really is a perfect fit, as Golden Gate Ventures focuses on &ldquo;Bringing Silicon Valley to Asia&rdquo; through venture capital, while Founder Institute "Globalizes Silicon Valley" to Asia through its structured entrepreneur training program.</p>
<p dir="ltr">When he first decided to become a leader in the Singaporean startup scene, he started by establishing a Founder Institute chapter there. With considerable entrepreneurial experience under his belt, both in Silicon Valley and internationally, Paine was able to accelerate the development of the Singaporean startup ecosystem.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>In total, Jeff's Founder Institute Semesters have Graduated over 115 companies in Singapore, including wildly successful companies like&nbsp;<a href="http://www.icarsclub.com/" target="_blank">iCarsClub</a>, <a href="http://thenextweb.com/asia/2013/02/19/asian-saas-startup-gridblaze-is-closing-after-selling-its-technology-in-7-figure-deal-with-us-web-firm/" target="_blank">Gridblaze</a> and <a href="https://www.vibease.com/" target="_blank">Vibease</a>.</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr">These companies have stood out perhaps because Paine has developed a unique perspective while leading his FI chapter, and helping to launch other chapters throughout Southeast Asia.</p>
<p dir="ltr">As Jeff runs his classes, he emphasizes his perspective on what makes the best companies.</p>
<blockquote>The number one problem for any startup is the business idea, and not the execution. Everybody tells you that 99% is about execution, but if your idea is stupid and if you execute well on a stupid idea, you will still fail. So the idea must be interesting enough, unique enough, defensible enough, and it must fit the founder.&rdquo;</blockquote>
<p dir="ltr">This is why the Founder Institute has been so relevant, especially in Singapore. Paine has emphasized that one of the main problems there is a sheer lack of "great" startup ideas.</p>
<blockquote>In short, many Singapore-based founders start out with small visions and weak ideas (not bold nor crazy enough nor targeting a large enough market). This is fairly common if they are first time entrepreneurs and perfectly alright.&rdquo;</blockquote>
<p dir="ltr">As Silicon Valley becomes more globalized, perhaps Paine is on the right track and we should focus on training entrepreneurs to come up with better ideas.</p>
<p dir="ltr">It has certainly worked in Singapore, with <a href="http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/technology/icarsclub-raises-record-us60m-series-b-funding" target="_blank">iCarsClub</a> alone getting a total of $70M USD in funding, while <a href="http://thenextweb.com/asia/2013/02/19/asian-saas-startup-gridblaze-is-closing-after-selling-its-technology-in-7-figure-deal-with-us-web-firm/" target="_blank">GridBlaze was acquired for seven figures</a> within it's first year of operation.</p>
<p dir="ltr">While Paine&rsquo;s equity in such companies from the Founder Institute has definitely paid off, the effects beyond that are worth much more. Paine has been able to make strong connections, and become such an important part of the startup ecosystem in Singapore, that his VC fund has been able to make a much larger impact. As more Singaporean startups have access to large amounts of funding, it is inspiring more entrepreneurs in the area to get involved and create a better startup climate for everyone.</p>
<p dir="ltr">See a sampling of some of the fast-growing companies Jeff has helped launch through the Founder Institute below.&nbsp;</p>
<ul>
<li><strong><a href="http://iCarsClub.com" target="_blank">iCarsClub</a>:</strong> iCarsClub is a&nbsp;peer-to-peer car sharing market place for car renters and car owners. The company has raised over $70 million in funding, and now has operations across Southeast Asia and China. Singapore Founder Institute Graduate.&nbsp;</li>
<li><strong><a href="http://thenextweb.com/asia/2013/02/19/asian-saas-startup-gridblaze-is-closing-after-selling-its-technology-in-7-figure-deal-with-us-web-firm/" target="_blank">GridBlaze</a>: </strong>A Storage-as-a-service platform that provided a proximity based storage network for developers to create smart, location aware applications.&nbsp;<a href="http://thenextweb.com/asia/2013/02/19/asian-saas-startup-gridblaze-is-closing-after-selling-its-technology-in-7-figure-deal-with-us-web-firm/" target="_blank">GridBlaze was acquired for seven figures</a>&nbsp;within it's first year of operation.&nbsp;Singapore Founder Institute Graduate.&nbsp;</li>
<li><strong><a href="http://vibease.com" target="_blank">Vibease</a></strong>: Vibease is a "smart vibrator" and app that&nbsp;helps couples stay intimate. The company has been featured aross countless news channels, received several hundred thousands of dollars in angel investment, and raised $130,000 on a $15,000 Indiegogo campaign.&nbsp;Singapore Founder Institute Graduate.&nbsp;</li>
<li><strong><a href="http://www.clubvivre.com/" target="_blank">ClubVivre</a></strong>:&nbsp;Clubvivre is a website that allows a group of people (4+) to enjoy a private dining experience with the chosen original menu and top chefs. The company is growing quickly and has been featured in almost every major news outlet in Southeast Asia.&nbsp;Singapore Founder Institute Graduate.&nbsp;</li>
<li><strong><a href="https://contractiq.com" target="_blank">ContractIQ</a>:</strong>&nbsp;The leading, hand-curated marketplace for world class engineering studios to build mobile products for startups and enterprises. The company features a database of over 10,000 engineering resources, and services clients all across the globe.&nbsp;Singapore Founder Institute Graduate.&nbsp;</li>
<li><strong><a href="http://FlightOffice.com" target="_blank">FlightOffice</a></strong>:&nbsp;FlightOffice.com has developed a SaaS-based end to end solution for aviation companies to manage their operations. The company has raised over $500,000 in funding.&nbsp;Singapore Founder Institute Graduate.&nbsp;</li>
<li><strong><a href="http://TapGenes.com" target="_blank">TapGenes</a></strong>:&nbsp;TapGenes takes a personalized approach to health, turning your family health information into easy to understand preventative medicine; helping you manage chronic conditions and to fight disease/s before they happen. The company has raised a small seed round and is growing nicely.&nbsp;Singapore Founder Institute Graduate.&nbsp;</li>
<li><strong><a href="http://vaultdragon.com/" target="_blank">Vault Dragon</a></strong>:&nbsp;Vault Dragon offers hassle-free, secure and on-demand urban storage solutions with flexible terms.&nbsp;The company graduated from the JFDI.Asia startup accelerator.&nbsp;Singapore Founder Institute Graduate.&nbsp;</li>
<li><strong><a href="http://www.whizmeal.com/" target="_blank">WhizMeal</a></strong>:&nbsp;Whizmeal is a technology start-up which champions healthy eating in schools, to combat the growing obesity rate for Singapore kids (currently at 12%). The company continues to sign on new schools on it's mission to cut the obesity rate in half by 2022. Singapore Founder Institute Graduate.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>If you want to learn more about Jeffrey Paine check out his blog at <a href="http://paine.co/" target="_blank">http://paine.co/</a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><span style="font-size: large;"><em><strong>If you are local startup leader interested in launching a new Founder Institute chapter, visit&nbsp;<a href="http://FI.co/lead" target="_blank">FI.co/lead</a>.&nbsp;</strong></em></span></p>Mon, 23 Mar 2015 14:00:00 -0700http://FI.co/posts/13521
The #1 Reason Why Startups Fail, According to Adeo Ressi<p dir="ltr"><strong><a href="http://FI.co/" target="_blank">The Founder Institute</a> CEO, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/adeoressi" target="_blank">Adeo Ressi</a></strong> explains the #1 reason why most startups fail to achieve success, which was featured in a Forbes video titled &ldquo;<a href="http://www.forbes.com/video/4120513302001/" target="_blank">FAIL ACADEMY: Top Reasons Startups Fail</a>.&rdquo; And the answer may be a lot simpler than you think.</p>
<p dir="ltr">There are plenty of issues that contribute to the failure of startups, such as bad employees, not enough funds to sustain operations, and no clear business direction. However, all these issues stem from a bigger problem, which is a lack of passion and determination to succeed.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>At the end of the day there is only one thing that kills a company, that is when the founder gives up.&rdquo;</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Finding solutions to problems is what motivates an entrepreneur to see an idea blossom into a business. There is guaranteed to be challenges that come with the entrepreneurial journey, but overcoming them is what makes the journey so rewarding and enriching for entrepreneurs.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 60px;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Xl6ffZj-FCw" width="640" height="360"></iframe></p>
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The Founder Institute launches Exploratory Program in Greenville, South Carolina<p dir="ltr">The Founder Institute recently launched an Exploratory Program in Greenville, South Carolina which was reported in a GSA Business article titled &ldquo;<a href="http://gsabusiness.com/news/54009-founder-institute-offers-low-cost-program-for-startups?rss=0" target="_blank">Founder Institute offers low-cost program for startups</a>&rdquo;.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The program is seeking people who have ideas for business ventures but aren&rsquo;t ready to quit their day jobs. Jason Premo, co-director of the The Founder Institute program in Greenville, states its the first in South Carolina and will be tailored to the community&rsquo;s entrepreneurial ecosystem. The 14-week program starting this summer will be a feeder for existing incubators and accelerators.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Premo, who is chairman of<a href="http://premoventures.com/" target="_blank"> Premo Ventures</a> and an angel investor, said the institute program is not profit driven, and relies on mentors who have successfully started businesses. Premo said that as a co-director his role is to supplement that curriculum with diverse local mentors.</p>
<blockquote>
<p dir="ltr">The institute&rsquo;s program guides new entrepreneurs through these trenches, while bringing the program to South Carolina provides a direct mechanism to spur additional growth in our knowledge economy.&rdquo;</p>
</blockquote>
<p dir="ltr"><em><strong><em><strong><a href="http://FI.co/apply/greenville" target="_blank">Apply today! </a>And attend either of the t</strong></em>hree free introductory sessions which are set for April 6, April 15 and April 22 at the<a href="http://www.greenvillenext.com/" target="_blank"> Next Innovation Center</a>.</strong></em></p>
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GIST Tech-I Applications Extended until March 27th. Submit your Startup for a trip to GES<p dir="ltr"><strong><a href="http://www.gistnetwork.org" target="_blank">GIST (Global Innovation through Science and Technology)</a></strong>, a partner of the Founder Institute, will be accepting applications for their <a href="http://www.gistnetwork.org/tech-i" target="_blank">annual competition</a> that attracts the most promising entrepreneurs from emerging economies. Online public voting and entrepreneurship experts decide who competes in the Tech-I Finals, a highly anticipated event at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.gistnetwork.org/tech-i" target="_blank">Tech-I</a> is designed to help science and technology entrepreneurs ages 18-40 advance their innovations at both the Idea and Startup Stages through training, mentorship, networking opportunities, and access to capital. Thirty finalists win a free trip to attend the 2015 Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) to compete for individual prizes up to $15,000 USD and have a chance to network with angel investors and venture capitalists. All finalists earn three months of mentorship after the GES.</p>
<p><em><strong>GIST is accepting applications until March 27th. Just click the link to submit your executive summary and a short video.</strong></em><strong><em><a href="http://www.gistnetwork.org/tech-i" target="_blank"> Click here to apply for the GIST Tech-I Competition!</a></em></strong></p>
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Zirtual expands and provides employment opportunities<p dir="ltr"><strong><a href="https://www.zirtual.com/" target="_blank">Zirtual</a>, <a href="http://www.fi.co/apply/" target="_blank">Bay Area Founder Institute Graduate</a></strong>, is the leading online service that matches U.S-based virtual assistants with busy professionals has announced that it will be hiring more than a hundred full-time employees throughout the Pacific Coast, which was reported in a PR Newswire article titled &ldquo;<a href="http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/zirtual-leader-in-virtual-executive-assistant-field-to-open-over-100-new-jobs-on-the-pacific-coast-300052645.html" target="_blank">Zirtual, Leader in Virtual Executive Assistant Field, to Open Over 100 New Jobs on the Pacific Coast</a>.&rdquo; The company offer services to help professionals save time and boost productivity by performing a wide range of tasks, including different forms of online research, responding to emails, scheduling, event coordination, and much more. &nbsp;</p>
<p dir="ltr">With the exception of California, the company will be opening virtual assistant positions principally in Nevada, as well as Washington, Oregon, and northern Idaho to serve its Zirtual for Teams clientele. Zirtual has been providing a network of top-tier virtual executive assistant services since its launch in 2011 and has grown extensively in recent years due to its fusion of well-educated, highly trained Zirtual Assistants (ZAs) and remote work opportunities. The company makes a point to employ individuals with exceptional communication and administrative skills who understand how to collaborate with a team and also thrive working independently.</p>
<p><em><strong>Zirtual offers competitive pay with benefits. For more information on Zirtual and employment opportunities, visit their <a href="https://www.zirtual.com/jobs/" target="_blank">official website</a>.</strong></em></p>Thu, 19 Mar 2015 14:10:00 -0700http://FI.co/posts/14291
The Founder Institute’s Asia and the Middle East Chapters Most Promising Graduates<p>At the <a href="http://FI.co/" target="_blank">Founder Institute</a>, we believe that great startups can be built anywhere around the world...</p>
<p>According to the Founder Institute&rsquo;s &ldquo;Entrepreneur DNA&rdquo; test, there are talented founders everywhere, and you don&rsquo;t have to move to Silicon Valley to launch a startup. From evaluating over 20,000 aspiring startup founders from the world, the Founder Institute was able to discover the entrepreneurial strengths in each region. Based on the results, Asia and the Middle East has the the Highest Global Predictive Success Score, specifically in Tel Aviv. And the 2nd Highest Global Fluid Intelligence, specifically in Singapore.</p>
<p><em><strong>Below are some of the most recognized graduates from the Founder Institute's Asia and the Middle East chapters. The Founder Institute is currently enrolling in <a href="http://FI.co/apply/1381" target="_blank">Jakarta</a>, <a href="http://FI.co/apply/1461" target="_blank">Hong Kong</a>, <a href="http://FI.co/apply/1281" target="_blank">Kuala Lumpur</a>, <a href="http://FI.co/apply/1271" target="_blank">Shanghai</a>, and <a href="http://FI.co/apply/1351" target="_blank">Tokyo</a>. </strong></em></p>
<p><a href="http://ctt.ec/KzJp0" target="_blank"><img src="http://FI.co/system/upload/3333.jpg" alt="" /></a></p>
<ul>
<li><strong><a href="http://appota.com/" target="_blank">Appota</a>&nbsp;and Founder&nbsp;<a href="https://vn.linkedin.com/in/anhdt" target="_blank">Do Tuan Anh</a></strong>:&nbsp;Appota is a mobile content distribution platform that allows developers and game publishers to effectively distribute their content to the Vietnam mobile user population. <a href="https://www.techinasia.com/appota-series-b/" target="_blank">The company raised an undisclosed series B funding with two investors from Japan and Singapore. It plans to monetize the mobile space in Vietnam&rsquo;s growing smartphone population</a>. Hanoi Founder Institute Graduate.&nbsp;</li>
<li><strong><a href="http://www.morphe.us.com/" target="_blank">Morpheus </a>and Founder <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanyadammbokobza" target="_blank">Tanya Damm Bokobza</a></strong>:<strong id="docs-internal-guid-2047db8f-2a16-8b54-20fa-00c234d03c47" style="font-weight: normal;"><span> Morpheus is a social platform that connects users to designers to recreate lost items of emotional value. Morpheus participated in <a href="https://www.googleforentrepreneurs.com/stories/3d-printing-sparked-a-gem-of-an-idea" target="_blank">Campus Tel Aviv</a>, powered by Google for Entrepreneurs, which is a hub for entrepreneurs and developers to acquire training &amp; mentorship opportunities. Tel Aviv Founder Institute Graduate.</span></strong></li>
<li><strong><a href="http://www.to-next.com/" target="_blank">ToNext</a> and Founder <a href="https://af.linkedin.com/pub/akmal-arzhang/96/26b/2a2" target="_blank">Akmai Arzhang</a></strong>: ToNext is developing an ecommerce website where shopkeepers can create a profile and add their products which visitors will see, rate and buy the products. In addition, visitors can find the shop location for the products. ToNext has developed customer and shopkeeper relationships, which has secured more than 50 electronic companies to put their products on the website. Kabul Founder Institute Graduate.</li>
<li><strong><a href="http://www.outlife.co/" target="_blank">Outlife</a> and Founder <a href="https://in.linkedin.com/in/diyanat" target="_blank">Diyanat Ali</a></strong>: OutLife is an Adventure and Travel Market Place offering diverse curated and verified adventure and travel experiences online for Groups and Corporate. Diyanat Ali, founder of OutLife, is also the founder of <a href="http://startuphyderabad.com/outlife-transforming-learning-action-joy" target="_blank">Great Hyderabad Adventure Club (GHAC), the largest and most active adventure club in India</a>. Hyderabad Founder Institute Graduate.</li>
<li><strong><a href="http://www.retrusted.com/" target="_blank">reTrusted</a> and Founder <a href="https://my.linkedin.com/in/roderickruhl" target="_blank">Roderick Ruhl</a></strong>: reTrusted helps online merchants achieve post-sale customer interaction by pro-actively asking customers for a merchant and product review after a purchase was made. Kuala Lumpur Founder Institute Graduate.</li>
<li><strong><a href="http://app.onepouch.com/index" target="_blank">Pouch</a> and Founders <a href="http://id.linkedin.com/pub/ilya-kravtsov/4/812/10" target="_blank">IIya Kravtsov</a> and <a href="https://id.linkedin.com/in/tamiabadi" target="_blank">Tami Abadi</a></strong>: Pouch is a mobile application that allows customers to collect all their paper loyalty cards in one place. <a href="https://www.techinasia.com/pouch-digital-loyalty-app/" target="_blank">The company has had 48 brand partners, more than 200 store partners in Jakarta, and acquired more than 8,000 users since 2012</a>. Jakarta Founder Institute Graduate.</li>
<li><strong><a href="http://www.nutrilens.me/" target="_blank">Nutrilens</a> and Founder <a href="http://hk.linkedin.com/pub/ho-yin-cheung/1/986/1b8" target="_blank">Ho Yin Cheung</a></strong>: NutriLens helps health conscious users recognize foods from their smartphone photos, so they can make healthier choices. Hong Kong Founder Institute Graduate.</li>
<li><strong><a href="http://timeflair.com/" target="_blank">Timeflair</a> and Founder <a href="https://ph.linkedin.com/in/rodelmendoza" target="_blank">Rodel Mendoza</a></strong>: TimeFlair is an online staffing platform to help SME's get tasks done in 48 hour turn around time guarantee on specific quick tasks (Admin, Online Research and Writing) with their team based approach of Project managers committed to deliver guarantee. <a href="http://www.pr.com/press-release/579601" target="_blank">TimeFlair hails as one of the 1st batch of startups out of the Founder Institute to successfully incorporate and start operations upon finishing graduation</a>. Manila Founder Institute Graduate.</li>
<li><strong><a href="http://myrocketkid.com/#sthash.RFOgv00A.dpbs" target="_blank">My Rocket Kid</a> and Founders <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pub/phitha-tanpairoj/30/101/ba0" target="_blank">Phitha Tanpairoj</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/albertoortiz" target="_blank">Alberto Ortiz</a></strong>: My Rocket Kid is a mobile educational application that helps parents get involved in their children&rsquo;s learning process while kids play fun educational games on their tablets. The company will be releasing an Application on the Apple Store in Spring 2015. Bangkok Founder Institute Graduate.</li>
<li><strong><a href="http://hsp-vn.com/" target="_blank">Yton</a> and Founder <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pub/duc-nguyen-quang/35/535/838" target="_blank">Duc Nguyen Quang</a></strong>: Yton provides e-health services. <a href="https://www.techinasia.com/topica-founder-institute-vietnam/%20" target="_blank">The company raised the largest series A round in Vietnam from SMS, a Japanese healthcare IT company. And the company currently employs more than 100 employees</a>. Ho Chi Minh City Founder Institute Graduate.</li>
<li><strong><a href="http://www.zuoshou.co/" target="_blank">Zuosou</a> and Founder <span dir="auto"><a href="http://cn.linkedin.com/in/zhangjian001" target="_blank">张健</a> and </span></strong><strong>建邦 古</strong>: Zuosou provides catering services for businesses. The company secured $130,000 in seed capital from Angel Equity. Shenzhen Founder Institute Graduate.</li>
</ul>
<p><em><strong>If you also believe that great startups can be built anywhere, then join us for the <a href="http://figlobaldemoday.eventbrite.com/" target="_blank">Global Virtual Demo Day</a> online event on March 19 to see top startups pitch from 4 different countries, or tune in to the "<a href="http://FI.co/webinars" target="_blank">How to Develop Your Startup Ecosystem</a>" webinar on March 25.</strong></em></p>Thu, 19 Mar 2015 11:45:00 -0700http://FI.co/posts/13961
Logrr to Pitch Silicon Valley Investors at Global Demo Day<p dir="ltr"><strong>See <a href="http://www.logrr.com" target="_blank">Logrr</a> pitch top Silicon Valley investors Thursday, March 19th at 6pm PT, at our first <a href="http://fi.co/demo" target="_blank">Virtual Global Demo Day</a>.</strong></p>
<p>Logrr is an Identity as a Service platform for enterprises that connects employees to their cloud business applications without using passwords. The security tool ventured through The Founder Institute&rsquo;s first Canadian cohort in Montreal 2014.</p>
<p>Founder<strong><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliendenaes" target="_blank"> Julien Denaes</a> </strong>wants to cut the costs of identity management by 50% and increase the level of security. Logrr&rsquo;s mission is to connect employees to cloud applications through a Single Sign On, using digital signatures. He states,</p>
<blockquote>
<p>We started by thinking about two facts: People always have their smartphone with them and passwords are weak...From there we decided to create a platform that enables you to authenticate without using password at all.&rdquo;</p>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>If you&rsquo;re tired of constantly having to remember and retype passwords, learn more about Logrr during our first <a href="http://fi.co/demo" target="_blank">Virtual Global Demo Day</a>, happening Thursday, March 19th at 6pm PT.</strong></p>Thu, 19 Mar 2015 10:45:00 -0700http://FI.co/posts/14281
See Global Startups Solving Global Problems on this Online Demo Day Event<p dir="ltr">The <a href="http://FI.co/" target="_blank">Founder Institute</a> is the world's largest entrepreneur training and startup startup launch program, with a portfolio of over 1350 Graduate companies from across 85+ cities and six continents.&nbsp;</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>In an effort to further "Globalize Silicon Valley", The Founder Institute will host its first ever <a href="http://FI.co/demo" target="_blank">Global Virtual Demo Day</a>&nbsp;to showcase some of the program's top Graduates to an international audience of investors and entrepreneurs, live and online.</strong></p>
<h3 dir="ltr">This Global Virtual Demo Day will take place on&nbsp;Thursday, March 19th at 6:00pm PT (<a href="http://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/?t=4:15pm&amp;tz=San%20Francisco&amp;" target="_blank">see local time here</a>), and it&nbsp;is open for anyone to attend.&nbsp;<a href="http://us1.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=a67c4487fff22ab8e545f2142&amp;id=adf05505de" target="_blank">RSVP to the Demo Day Today!</a></h3>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>See Global Startups Solving Global Problems</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr">During the live Global Virtual Demo Day, you can see pitches from top Founder Institute Graduates from four different countries, and three different continents.&nbsp;All presenting companies have already raised a small amount of funding or generated traction, and each is tackling a large, global issue with a huge market; such as satellite delivery, personal health, online security, online journalism, the sharing economy, corporate healthcare, and more. Presenting companies include;</p>
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<td style="border: none; background-color: #f5f5f5; padding-right: 10px;"><a href="http://www.nexercise.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://FI.co/system/upload/Nexercise_eir.jpg" alt="" /></a></td>
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<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 18px; font-size: 20px;"><a href="http://www.nexercise.com" target="_blank">Nexercise</a>, and Founder <a href="https://twitter.com/obenyoung" target="_blank">Benjamin Young</a></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: medium;">Mobile platform for delivering addictive corporate wellness challenges. $1M+ est. revenue in 2015. $1.3M seed funding, TechStars alum, and DC Founder Institute Graduate.</span></p>
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<td style="border: none; background-color: #f5f5f5; padding-right: 10px;"><a href="http://peerby.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://FI.co/system/upload/Peerby.jpg" alt="" /></a></td>
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<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 18px; font-size: 20px;"><a href="http://peerby.com" target="_blank">Peerby</a>, and Founder&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/daanweddepohl" target="_blank">Daan Weddepohl</a>&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: medium;">Peerby is neighborhood sharing-economy app, with traction in Europe and an insurance-based revenue model. $2.5M funding, TechStars alum, and Amsterdam Founder Institute Graduate.</span></p>
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<td style="border: none; background-color: #f5f5f5; padding-right: 10px;"><a href="http://tapgenes.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://FI.co/system/upload/Tapgenes_eir.jpg" alt="" width="240" height="121" /></a></td>
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<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 18px; font-size: 20px;"><a href="http://tapgenes.com" target="_blank">Tapgenes</a>, and Co-Founder <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/hholmes1" target="_blank">Heather Holmes</a></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: medium;">Tapgenes is a family-health service for tracking and understanding your family genealogy health tree. Co-founded by 23andme alum, Blueprint Health alum and Singapore Founder Institute Graduate. </span></p>
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<td style="border: none; background-color: #f5f5f5; padding-right: 10px;"><a href="http://connectx.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://FI.co/system/upload/ConnectX.jpg" alt="" width="240" height="121" /></a></td>
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<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 18px; font-size: 20px;"><a href="http://connectx.com" target="_blank">ConnectX</a>, and Founder <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/lanceparkerconnectx" target="_blank">Lance Parker</a></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: medium;">ConnectX is launching satellites with storage capacity with the highest level of security. It is the ultimate in high value data storage. Los Angeles Founder Institute Graduate. </span></p>
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<td style="border: none; background-color: #f5f5f5; padding-right: 10px;"><a href="http://logrr.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://FI.co/system/upload/Logrr.jpg" alt="" width="240" height="121" /></a></td>
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<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 18px; font-size: 20px;"><a href="http://logrr.com" target="_blank">Logrr</a>, and Founder <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliendenaes" target="_blank">Julien Denaes</a>&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: medium;">Logrr is an Identity as a Service platform for enterprises that connects employees to their cloud business applications without using passwords. Montreal Founder Institute Graduate. </span></p>
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<h3 dir="ltr"><a href="http://us1.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=a67c4487fff22ab8e545f2142&amp;id=adf05505de" target="_blank">RSVP to the Demo Day Today!</a></h3>Thu, 19 Mar 2015 09:43:07 -0700http://FI.co/posts/13571
Feetz acquires $1.25M in seed funding, Zirtual featured in Fortune Insider, Entrepreneurs pitch to Silicon Valley Investor, and more Grad News<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium;"><em><strong>Since launching in 2009, the Founder Institute has helped launch over 1,310 new technology companies across 85 cities, 40 countries, and six continents.</strong></em></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium;"><em><strong>These companies have gone on to do great things, and create over 10,000+ new jobs.</strong></em></span></p>
<p>Over the past week, Feetz acquires $1.25M in seed funding, Zirtual featured in Fortune Insider, Diggen gives entrepreneurs chance to pitch to Silicon Valley Investor, and more Grad News.</p>
<p>Below is a roundup of recent Founder Institute Graduates in the news:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://nooga.com/169375/feetz-announces-125-million-in-seed-funding-to-build-3-d-printed-shoes/" target="_blank">Feetz acquires $1.25 million in seed funding: </a><a href="http://nooga.com/169375/feetz-announces-125-million-in-seed-funding-to-build-3-d-printed-shoes/" target="_blank"><em>Feetz announces $1.25 million in seed funding to build 3-D printed shoes</em></a> <em></em>(<strong><span id="docs-internal-guid-ee0f96a5-0eff-14b7-5ac5-b0428633614e">Nooga.com</span></strong>):<a href="http://www.feetz.co/" target="_blank"> Feetz</a>, a San Diego Graduate, provides custom-made 3-D printed shoes, resulting in the perfect size shoe.</li>
<li><a href="http://upstart.bizjournals.com/news/wire/2015/03/17/with-balanced-payments-shutting-down-zipmark-ceo.html" target="_blank">Zipmark CEO Jay Bhattacharya offers his perspective on digital payment companies: <em>With Balanced Payments shutting down, Zipmark CEO predicts 'lot of room for disruption'</em></a> (<strong><span id="docs-internal-guid-ee0f96a5-0eff-14b7-5ac5-b0428633614e">UpStart Business Journal</span></strong>): <a href="https://www.zipmark.com/" target="_blank">Zipmark</a>, a New York Graduate, is the safest, easiest and fastest way for any business to collect payments from their customer, or make payments to partners and suppliers.</li>
<li id="docs-internal-guid-ee0f96a5-0eff-14b7-5ac5-b0428633614e"><a href="http://metro.co.uk/2015/03/13/get-hot-on-the-go-with-the-wearable-smart-vibrator-5101995/" target="_blank">Vibease the wearable vibrator you can control with your smart phone: <em>Get hot on the go with the wearable smart&nbsp;vibrator</em></a> (<strong>Metro</strong>): <a href="https://www.vibease.com/" target="_blank">Vibease</a>, a Singapore Graduate, helps couples stay intimate by offering a wearable vibrator that can be controlled through a smartphone app.</li>
<li id="docs-internal-guid-ee0f96a5-0eff-14b7-5ac5-b0428633614e"><a href="http://fortune.com/2015/03/12/email-overload/" target="_blank">Managing email overload with advice from Maren Kate Donovan, CEO of Zirtual: <em>Never check your email before noon here's why</em></a> (<strong>Fortune Insider</strong>): <a href="https://www.zirtual.com/" target="_blank">Zirtual</a>, a Bay Area Graduate, connects busy people with quality, long-term virtual assistants.</li>
<li title="Diggen"><a href="http://www.prweb.com/releases/2015/03/prweb12579404.htm" target="_blank">Diggen gives three entrepreneurs the opportunity to pitch a top Silicon Valley Investor: <em>Holonis, Inc. and Diggen, Inc. Unite to Help Startups Pitch a Top Silicon Valley Investor at SXSW</em></a> (<strong>PR Web</strong>): <a href="https://www.diggen.com/" target="_blank">Diggen</a>, a Los Angeles Graduate, is developing a platform for piping all consumer data for marketers to minimize the cost and increase relevancy with compliancy for consumers to gain control.</li>
</ul>
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ConnectX to Pitch Silicon Valley Investors at Global Demo Day<p dir="ltr"><strong>See ConnectX pitch top Silicon Valley investors Thursday, March 19th at 6pm PT, at our first <a href="http://FI.co/demo" target="_blank">Virtual Global Demo Day.</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://connectx.com" target="_blank">ConnectX</a>&nbsp;is launching satellites with storage capacity with the highest level of security, in order to provide the ultimate in high value data storage. &nbsp;Since it&rsquo;s launch in 2012 with the <a href="http://FI.co/apply">Los Angeles Founder Institute</a>, ConnectX has already hired 13 employees and the beta launch is slated for 2017. &nbsp;</p>
<p><span id="ws-word-wrapper-0">Founder</span>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/lanceparkerconnectx" target="_blank"><span id="ws-word-wrapper-1"><span id="ws-token-1">Lance</span></span>&nbsp;<span id="ws-word-wrapper-2"><span id="ws-token-2">Parker</span></span></a>&nbsp;<span id="ws-word-wrapper-3">wants</span>&nbsp;<span id="ws-word-wrapper-4">to</span>&nbsp;"<span id="ws-word-wrapper-5">revolutionize</span>&nbsp;<span id="ws-word-wrapper-6">the</span>&nbsp;<span id="ws-word-wrapper-7">way</span>&nbsp;<span id="ws-word-wrapper-8">we</span>&nbsp;<span id="ws-word-wrapper-9">store,</span>&nbsp;<span id="ws-word-wrapper-10">transmit,</span>&nbsp;<span id="ws-word-wrapper-11">and</span>&nbsp;<span id="ws-word-wrapper-12">analyze</span>&nbsp;<span id="ws-word-wrapper-13">information."&nbsp;</span><span id="ws-word-wrapper-14">He</span>&nbsp;<span id="ws-word-wrapper-15">plans</span>&nbsp;<span id="ws-word-wrapper-16">to curve radio beams to increase data&nbsp;</span><span id="ws-word-wrapper-23">transmission</span>&nbsp;<span id="ws-word-wrapper-24">rates,</span>&nbsp;<span id="ws-word-wrapper-25">in</span>&nbsp;<span id="ws-word-wrapper-26">a</span>&nbsp;<span id="ws-word-wrapper-27">condensed,</span>&nbsp;<span id="ws-word-wrapper-28">non-binary</span>&nbsp;<span id="ws-word-wrapper-29">symbol</span>&nbsp;<span id="ws-word-wrapper-30">structure.&nbsp;</span><span id="ws-word-wrapper-31">The</span>&nbsp;<span id="ws-word-wrapper-32">most</span>&nbsp;<span id="ws-word-wrapper-33">cost-effective way</span>&nbsp;<span id="ws-word-wrapper-37">is by</span>&nbsp;<span id="ws-word-wrapper-38">using</span>&nbsp;<span id="ws-word-wrapper-39">small</span>&nbsp;<span id="ws-word-wrapper-40">satellites.</span>&nbsp;He quotes,&nbsp;</p>
<blockquote>
<p>It is difficult to operate small devices in space but worth doing because tiny, powerful satellites can store, process, secure, send and receive massive amounts of Big Data anywhere in the world...Zero-gravity allows the drives to spin with less resistance, and the extreme cold in space means the servers could process faster without overheating.&rdquo;</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Expensive cloud computing and networks on earth cannot keep up with the exponential growth in information. ConnectX is set to solve this problem by expanding out to the &ldquo;final frontier.&rdquo;</p>
<p><strong>ConnectX is confirmed to pitch top Silicon Valley investors during our&nbsp;</strong><strong><a href="http://FI.co/demo" target="_blank">Virtual Global Demo Day</a></strong><strong>.</strong></p>Tue, 17 Mar 2015 14:00:00 -0700http://FI.co/posts/14181